Chase Oliver is the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate in the 2024 US election. He joins Centre Stage to talk to Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle about why having more voting options is important, and what the US would be like under Libertarian governance. Oliver also offers his take on US foreign policy, how he’d tackle diplomacy with allies and addresses current conflicts.

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Arab Americans are expected to play a critical role in the upcoming US presidential election. And, while they’ve traditionally voted Democrat, that seems to be changing, leading some to talk about a political chasm within the Arab American community in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza, and American support for that war.

In this episode:

• Maya Berry (@iMayaBerry), executive director of the Arab American Institute

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In part 2 of this episode of Centre Stage, we conclude our interview with Clive Stafford Smith, a civil rights lawyer who represents Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani American woman serving an 86-year prison sentence — a victim, says Stafford Smith, of the United States’s so-called “war on terror”.

In this episode:

• Clive Stafford Smith (@CliveSSmith), civil rights lawyer and legal counsel for many of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
• Maryam Nemazee (@MaryamNemazee), presenter at  Al Jazeera

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In part 1 of this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is Clive Stafford Smith, a civil rights lawyer and legal counsel for many of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. His best-known client is Aafia Siddiqui, who he says is a victim of circumstance, and should never have ended up on the FBI’s Most Wanted list after the 9/11 attacks in the US. 

In this episode:

• Clive Stafford Smith (@CliveSSmith), civil rights lawyer and legal counsel for many of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
• Maryam Nemazee (@MaryamNemazee), presenter at  Al Jazeera

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Refik Hodzic is a journalist, filmmaker and an expert in transitional justice who has also worked as a spokesperson for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Hodzic joins us on Centre Stage, where he draws parallels between the Bosnian genocide and the war in Gaza, discusses the role of Western governments in achieving justice, and explains why young people are his only hope. 

In this episode:

• Refik Hodzic (@davidahearst), journalist, filmmaker and an expert in transitional justice 
• Rawaa Auge (@Rawaak), presenter at Al Jazeera Digital

This episode is produced in partnership with the Islam and Muslims Initiative, an international platform that connects Muslims and non-Muslims in the realms of religion, politics, business, media, academia and civil society.

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In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is veteran journalist and editor-in-chief of The Middle East Eye, David Hearst. His career spans decades of reporting on Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Hearst talks about why he thinks we’re currently witnessing the collapse of the Western governance model, and how the mistakes of the West are linked to the war on Gaza. 

In this episode:

• David Hearst (@davidahearst), veteran journalist and editor-in-chief of The Middle East Eye
• Rawaa Auge (@Rawaak), presenter at Al Jazeera Digital

This episode is produced in partnership with the Islam and Muslims Initiative, an international platform that connects Muslims and non-Muslims in the realms of religion, politics, business, media, academia and civil society.

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@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The trailblazing leader of Slovenia who became the country’s first female president did it without the backing of a political party. President Natasa Pirc Musar had a diverse career as an attorney, journalist and former information commissioner. A staunch advocate for human rights, President Musar talks about Slovenia’s recent recognition of Palestine, and why a reform of the UN Security Council is needed. 

In this episode:

• Natasa Pirc Musar (@nmusar), President of Slovenia
• Rawaa Auge (@Rawaak), presenter at Al Jazeera Digital

This episode is produced in partnership with the Islam and Muslims Initiative, an international platform that connects Muslims and non-Muslims in the realms of religion, politics, business, media, academia and civil society.

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In this episode of Centre Stage, the former president of Tunisia, Moncef Marzouki, explains how being a medical doctor has helped shape his political career, and why the Arab Spring has been a failure — “everywhere”.

Moncef Marzouki was Tunisia’s first president after the Arab Spring uprisings. But less than a decade after he was sworn in, and following a coup, Tunisia’s new government stripped him of his passport and issued an international warrant for his arrest for incitement to overthrow the government.

Today, Moncef Marzouki takes Centre Stage, to explain his side of the events, and how he sees the future unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa.

In this episode:

• Moncef Marzouki, former president of Tunisia
• Dareen Abughaida (@DareenAG),  Principal Presenter at Al Jazeera English 

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For six months, people have watched Israel’s war on Gaza and heard words like genocide, apartheid, and ICJ become part of the daily news lexicon. For some, it can be difficult to follow and fully understand. Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney, an associate professor at Rutgers University, and an advocate for justice and equality for Palestinians. Speaking on Centre Stage with host Rawaa Auge, Erakat explains the colonial structure of rule in Palestine and the UN’s mandate there.

In this episode:

• Noura Erakat (@4noura), human rights attorney and associate professor at Rutgers University
• Rawaa Auge (@Rawaak), presenter at Al Jazeera Digital

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Diana Buttu is an international lawyer, a former legal adviser to the PLO, and a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause. Buttu debunks the myth that hostilities in Gaza began only after the October 7 attacks, looks at what’s behind the defunding of UNRWA, and challenges Israel’s often-repeated claim of having the most “moral army in the world.”

In this episode:

• Diana Buttu (@dianabuttu), international lawyer
• Rawaa Auge (@Rawaak), presenter at Al Jazeera Digital

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